


Beginnings are endings, one way or another

by Subtle_Shenanigans



Series: Dissassociation [13]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: "Work" partners, Also I didn't want the costumes to be over the top or ridiculous, Amazing Echo (Phil), Anthro doesn't mean furry so please don't comment that or I will rant at you, Dan can never escape his old branding, Drabble, False Fire (Dan), Fite, Friendship, Gen, Im bad at superhero names okay?, Jackieboy Man (mentioned) - Freeform, NO PHAN, Phoenix - Freeform, Shapeshifter, Susan the lioness, YouTubers are all Superheros AU, an anthropomorphic-ish shift, just character design and power set up, platonic, seriously where are all the friend fics?, superhero au, this is the early year for them anyways, wait I meant Fire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-05-29 16:33:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15077243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Subtle_Shenanigans/pseuds/Subtle_Shenanigans
Summary: Daniel Howell had always admired Amazing Echo, a lion-summoning superhero who had been saving northern England recently.Dan hadn't expected to become a superhero himself - or Amazing's partner.Turbulents!AU #1





	1. Ending

**Author's Note:**

> More AUuuuuuuuuuuu.
> 
> So, _Static_ and the AR!AU will resume soon. I'm just . . . trying to give Mark respect, in a way. Even if he's not aware of it, in my mind, giving the stories including him rest is like giving him space in real life, if that makes sense.
> 
> Plus, I've had an idea with a prompt for this AU - and there's not enough friendship D&AP fics out there. (Seriously, there's like, less than 20 in the WHOLE ENTIRE ARCHIVE. In both AO3 _and_ FF. And there is a lot of fanfiction for them.)
> 
> Warnings for attempted kidnapping, and violence.
> 
> Yes, I have thought about their powers in regards to their naming and personalities as shown on YouTube. Some of Dan's stuff actually crosses over with an OC of mine named Zero (her name is longer than that), who is basically a Phoenix-like superhero I created from a dream.
> 
> I should mention - Dan's casualness about joking about death and such is _**not**_ indicative of him having suicidal thoughts; I am not implying that in any way. Dan makes a lot of self-deprecating jokes on his channel, and does have depression, but I will not assume he is this way, nor will I make a fictionalized version of his personality this way. The thing about a "Phoenix" type power is the idea that he can restructure his body cells, and avoid truly dying - his heart can momentarily stop, so by technicality, yes, he dies a lot. I chose this as I wanted something fire-related, and in one of the Tumblr Tag videos he and Phil joke about how Phil is always killed off in fanfics - I think they said something about it being Dan's turn, so I wanted to tag along with this idea. I wasn't sure how any jokes along these lines would come across, hence the clarification and warning.
> 
> Sorry for all of that ,:D. Let's dive right in!

_Beginnings are endings, one way or another_

_but_

_the vice versa is true_

* * *

 Daniel Howell was pretty ordinary.

  He went to school, fought his own personal problems; had dinner with his family, had the odd existential crisis. He had even lost a pet (though Suki was an intelligent hamster who escaped her prison - she hadn't died, far as he knew).

   But just because he lived a pretty ordinary life, didn't mean he was normal. Not by any means.  

   There wasn't a statistic for people like him - those with extraordinary abilities ("super powers") who didn't manage to make it into a career. More often than not, people like him fell to the wayside - either kept it quiet, or were carted away for vile experimentation.

   But then there were those - _Turbulents_ , the public called them - who resided in certain areas, their own territory, and fought against crime and the (very) occasional super villain. They even met up in their civilian lives, sharing their secret identities with those they trusted. Heck, a few had social media.

   And there was one in particular that Dan found himself drawn to on Twitter: a newer, lesser known Turbulent named Amazing Echo.

   Amazing Echo, like all Turbulents, had obscurification; something in his genetics made it hard to connect his features while in costume with his real self. Of course, Turbulents who got to know one another and revealed such things tended to get past that aspect - it was more that the mind couldn't connect the pieces, unless it was spelled out for them.

   As far as Dan could tell, though,  Amazing Echo had glossy black hair, and clear blue eyes - features he was pretty sure he retained in real life (unlike that Jackieboy Man dude - no way his hair was actually green.) 

   His outfit was pretty simple, too; he avoided capes, though no one knew why, and wore simple colorful attire - a simple suit probably made of durable material. His "mask" was a shimmery, silver galaxy paint around his eyes. He was tall - perhaps Dan's own height, and lean.

   His name, silly as it was in a way, was a pretty good hallmark of his powers. Amazing Echo could summon a lioness named Susan (gog knows why), as well as shift his own form - teeth becoming fangs, hands clawed, eyes slitted, and hair longer like a mane (unfortunate looking, actually.) He was strong, and fast, and tended to think outside the box.

    And while he wasn't as grandiose, and his powers weren't quite as spectacular as some, it was evident that he cared about people, and always tried his hardest.

    Dan appreciated that about him, if he was being honest.

   So while his own hesitance stopped him from trying to be a Turbulent, he still wondered if he could ever meet Amazing Echo.

* * *

 

  Dan's powers showed up around the same time most people's did - just around puberty.

   Maybe a year or two later, but early enough that he could learn to control and hide them.

   Plus, he wasn't too keen on openly admitting that it had been triggered by his fear of moths.

    ( _It was dark, okay? And his parents had insisted on camping, of all things - creepy trees in the dark, and he's huddling around the fire, desperately trying to contact someone, anyone on his silly little flip phone, when the motherfluffer flies at him, and he-_

 _anyways._ )

   He was . . .a phoenix, of sorts. He healed abnormally fast - it was really hard to kill him. And he had a fire running through his being; a light that could burn or heal.

   It was pretty mediocre, in Dan's opinion. Yeah, he could last longer in a fight, but his offense wasn't too good - unless sarcastic comments counted. 

   But it's not like he had _tested_ himself in a fight. 

   Until the day he does.

* * *

 

  It wasn't unusual for Dan and his family to take a bit of a holiday - rather, when they decide to go a bit north for a few weeks, it's rather normal and boring. He spent many a vacation as a teen bored out of his mind, or occasionally pleasantly content.

  But now Dan is in his early twenties, already emotionally detached and in the mindset of an adult. As much as he appreciates the . . . family time, he feels the urge to wander, and be alone.

  As much as he hates camping, he would have preferred the solitude and peace as opposed to the nerve-wracking quiet town  _full of people_.

  "Ugh, maybe I should have just stayed in the hotel," he mutters to himself. Dan shoves past people, keeping his eyes trained low lest he catches the gaze of a nosy stranger. He ducks down an alley of sorts, to get a breather, and continues through it as he realizes that it opens into an empty car park. That's when he hears it.

   He stops short - there's muttered cursing, sounds of struggle. A yelp - he's pretty sure it's a little kid's voice.

   Dan glances around, ears straining. But there's nothing - no Turbulents, no cops. And he's pretty certain that whatever is going on isn't simply a kid fighting their parent.

   Should he. . . ?

    _There's no one else._

_Ha! What can **you** hope to do?_

His hands tighten into a fist.

_Something would be better than nothing._

"Well here goes a really stupid idea."

   His hands glow with impossibly bright fire and he rubs at his eyes,  _hard_ , until he feels gritty ash settle, and soften. He knows his outfit isn't exactly set up for this - dark gray shirt under a black, sleeveless hoodie, and jeans a deep blue - but they should be plain and unremarkable enough to go unnoticed.

   Dan steps out from the alley way, and sure enough, there's a woman grappling with a little boy, covering his mouth and trying to fit him in her car. The kid's crying, and by the look on the woman's face, she has little to no regard or care for this kid.

   She also looks nothing like him, confirming Dan's theory that she's not the parent.

   "Let him go," his voice rings out; hollow, devoid of emotion.

   It fits him.

    She looks him up and down, appraising him. She doesn't even bother to cover up, or to lie - instead, she sneers, "Well would you look at that? Another stupid super-powered freak; wonder if Yavermen is still paying for them."

    Dan has no idea who this Yaverman is, but he definitely doesn't like or trust her tone. He tries to think like the other Turbulents do - what Amazing Echo would do - and decides to stand straight, and speak firmly, eyes planted on the little boy to give him hope.

    "Look, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way - let the kid go, or I'll," he stutters for barely a moment, wracking his brain for a threat, "vaporize you."

   He winces; yeah, not the best threat. Cheesy, even, dangit.

    And it's clear that the kidnapper doesn't believe, or at the very least, isn't threatened by him. She grips the kid tightly with one hand (the kid's hands are bound behind his back, so it's not like he could wrench away too easily), reaching for her side as she speaks, "This just gets easier and easier each time, doesn't it?"

    _What?_

   Too late, Dan realizes that she's pulling out a gun ( _and hey, it's his first time doing this, can you blame him for not getting the memo?_ ). He manages to twist and dart out of its original path, but the bullet still manages to go through his shoulder, flinging him back hard.

    He falls, hitting the ground and dimly hearing her say, "I'll drag him in a minute; as for _you_ ," and there's a wail from the little boy-

   His ears ring with pain, and fire spreads through his body; he needs to _get up_ , and he needs to get up **now** , and _**fast**_ , or _else_ -!

   Dan claws his way through the pain, is on all fours already - sees her shoving the kid in the car, blood on his face probably from the smack she landed on his nose-

   Dan has never been a hero; had always been the guy more on the sidelines. He's an introvert, and socially awkward - not afraid of confrontation, but not eager for it either.

   But all he sees are green eyes shining with tears and pain; hope shredding, tearing, rebuilding again only to fall away once more.

   He can't let him down.

   He **won't**.

   Something sears through him and he's hurtling forward, an angry scream in his throat and hand curled in a blazing fist of false fire.

   He hits her with enough fury to send her skidding and bouncing off the car's hull - she's not dead, he knows it, and is glad, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel some satisfaction from surely dislocating her shoulder.

   Plus he just KO'd her like he was freaking Saitama or something.

   Dan's standing, shoulders hunched slightly and breathing heavily, making sure the kidnapper is well and truly knocked out. Satisfied, he turns to the kid who stared at him with wonderstruck eyes. All too soon he's back to his awkward self, unsure what to say, as the searing energy leaves him.

   "Uh, you okay kid? _Sh- shoot_ , I said _shoot_ , uh, how badly are you hurt? Do you know where your parents are?"

    The kid opens his mouth, merely responding with, "Where did your wings go, mister?"

   "Wings. . .? I don't have. . ." He glances behind him, and surely enough, there's nothing there. But he remembers just how fast he had reached them, and the searing energy that had coursed through him.

   He shakes his head; it's not important right now. "Kid, we've gotta call your parents. And the police. I can't take care of this on my own," he adds the last part as an afterthought.

    "Well I'd disagree."

   The voice is distinctly northern, and Dan turns around with wide eyes to see Amazing Echo looking down at the kidnapper, and nudging her with a worn sneaker. 

   Amazing Echo laughed nervously. "Sorry about not jumping in earlier - I heard the gunshot, but by time I got here, you already superpunched her good. The wings were cool, by the way. What're you called?"

   Dan is a bit stupified; inside, he felt numb, distant. But there was also that nervous, churning anxiety because _holy crap, Amazing Echo was right there._

    Amazing blinked, waiting; hands still in pockets. Dan eventually found his voice.

    "I'm, uh. I'm . . .new. This is my first time," he gestures to the kid, the woman; the whole scene in general, " _this_. I don't really have a name yet."

   Amazing grins, "Well, we'll have to change that. Cops are on their way, by the way; alerted them when I heard the gunshot." He frowned, blue eyes directed to his bloody shoulder. "You okay?"

    Dan starts to shrug, decided against it. "Yeah, it'll heal. My weird false fire abilities already sealed it closed."

    There's a tug on his hand, and he looks down at the kid who he forgot was there. Green eyes are wide, and holy crap, this kid is adorable like a puppy. His voice is the shrill, high-pitched one most younger kids have, which Dan winces at, but he's not a completely heartless blaggard, so he stays silent and let's the kid speak his mind.

   "Thank you, mister. For saving me." He smiles brightly, which Dan just gives him a blank look. The kid is unperturbed, though, and by time the cops get there to wrap things up, Dan's head is still reeling from what had happened.

    The cops thank him, shaking his hand (which he pulls away from, abruptly, at which Amazing Echo raises a brow at). One even asks him, "What's your name, son?" At which the little kid (Dalton, he finds out), chirps up, "That's mister False Fire! 'Cause that's what he said his powers are."

   Dan tries to correct the kid, to let the cops know that _no, that's not exactly how his powers work_ , and that he _hasn't chosen a name yet_ \- but no one really listens.

    And all too soon they leave, until it's just him and Amazing Echo. And if his day couldn't get weird enough - saving someone, and effectively becoming a Turbulent - Amazing Echo glances at the sky, remarking, "It's a nice afternoon. You got time for a bit of a chat?"

 


	2. The beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There were many things Dan learned in the span of a week.
> 
> One being that Phil was an absolute _doofus_.
> 
> And two being that maybe, just maybe, his world wouldn't end in the monochrome repetition he had grown to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> paRT 2 Y'ALL.
> 
> This is seriously just a fun playground concept. Like I said, I have at least two prompts I will also write for this AU, but I don't want to step on the two awesome Superhero fics toes ( _The Septic Superhero_ by zeeyaa, and _Anti_ by Kitkatzg8) (you should totally check them out if you have time, by the way.)
> 
> Yes, some time skip. Also, like with any AU, timeline is allllll over the place.
> 
> EDIT: Forgive the entire middle sections. I wrote it while trapped in a car without air conditioning for almost three hours, in over 90 degree weather. The heatwave is here, and it's worse in the areas around my town. I am contemplating becoming nocturnal.

_The beginning_

* * *

  Dan grunted as he smacked into the side of a building (ironically, his own apartment), as Gaveon laughed maniacally. His wings had crumpled painfully from the impact, and he held on to the false fire coursing through him - it wouldn't do to lose them this early in the fight. He was already regretting his decision to let Phil choose where to get dinner.

   "Fire!" Amazing called out; Dan heard the slight hitch as his partner tried not to call him by his civilian name. Dan held back a snarky retort, knowing that he still struggled to do the same.

    Was it really only two years ago?

   He wondered this as Amazing helped lift him to his feet, Susan's snarling roar in the background clashing with the villain-wannabe's frustrated screeching.

* * *

 

 _On that fateful day_ :

   Amazing Echo didn't say much. Just walked with Dan. They kept to quieter streets and back alleys - they sky sweeping with pastels of blue and pink, faint buttercream yellow peeking from the clouds.

   It was . . .pleasant.

   "So," Amazing Echo finally said. The breeze was tousling his hair, which he reflexively kept trying to fix. "You, er, know me? I mean, know of me. You know what I mean." He gestured with his hand, awkwardly flustered.

  "Uh. . ." Dan wasn't sure what to say. "Yeah, I mean. On Twitter."

   Amazing huffed a laugh; Dan couldn't help but relax. It all felt so. . .normal. There was still the trepedition of being around another person, but honestly? Amazing seemed just as socially awkward, if not more forward than Dan himself.

   "Well I would guess that makes sense - you don't really sound northern."

   Dan shrugged. "Yeah, I'm from about two hours south. I'm also pretty articulate, according to other people." Dan fought a wince - he wasn't sure why he had mentioned that. He'd had more than enough blokes make fun of his posh accent.

   Amazing snapped his fingers, eyes lighting up. "Like Winnie-the-pooh!"

   "Oh shut up," Dan shoved him, the other laughing.

   It was weird, how easily they fell into a rhythm. Chatting about nothing in particular. Amazing Echo made jokes, with hesitant banter, which Dan found himself easily playing along with or exaggerating appropriately.

   He hadn't even noticed that night had fallen, nor that they had circled around the entire town through hidden 'streets', until his little flip phone buzzed.

   "Oh shi-, it's my mum. Uh, one minute." He stepped to the side, making sure to text her. She hadn't been too worried, luckily, but he was quick to assure her that he was just hanging out with a friend.

_a friend?_

   Dan paused after hitting the send button. Was- was that okay? To assume that they were- 

   Dan's mind whirred too fast. This was Amazing Echo, a brilliant, quick-witted Turbulent who Dan had met mere hours ago. He shouldn't just assume that they were friends because they talked for a bit.

   But. . .he looked up to see Amazing Echo playing with some asphalt pebbles on the ground. It was obvious that the guy was friendly enough. Their time had been nothing but companionable. And. . . and maybe-

    Maybe Dan was overthinking it, like usual.

   He snapped the phone shut and put it away. "Sorry, she was just checking in. I'll - I'm gonna need to go." He winced at how pathetically his voice dropped.

   Amazing Echo's face pinched; shoulders drooping, and something crossing his feature's that Dan would almost call distressed. 

   "Oh, uh, okay. Would you," he averted his eyes, looking to the ground and fidgeting, "would you like to exchange phone numbers? Just- just in case we need each other's help again?"

   Dan almost pointed out that Amazing Echo hadn't really done much except call the cops, but he was more taken by surprise than anything. He found himself pulling out his phone and handing it over.

    "Yeah! Absolutely; no problem."

   Amazing Echo handed over his own phone, saying, "Just put your name with something connected to your Turbulent name - if you don't mind exchanging first names."

    Dan hummed in confirmation. "That's fine."

    He almost put _falsedan_ , but deleted it and put _danisnotonfire_ instead, quirking a small smile. It was silly and distinct enough.

   Amazing handed his phone back, smiling broadly. "I'll be seeing you around I guess, False Fire."

  Da- False Fire waved, feeling content for the first time in months as his new friend sauntered away.

    He glanced at the new name in his contacts, smiling softly.

   "See you around."

    _AmazingPhil_.

* * *

 

   The next few months went by in pretty ordinary fashion. Amazi- Phil texting and complaining about how boring it was, with the only crime to fight being robbers. Dan himself replying and pointing out that, hey, at least you're not stuck capturing druggies and dealers.

    Dan kept practicing; fighting crime as best as he could. He eventually found out that he _did_ have wings, though he couldn't fly - they just helped him move faster on the ground, and could slow his descent if he fell off of a building.

    He quickly gained popularity, too - especially after he fell during one bad fight, body snapping as he hit pavement. But after a few moments, his heart was beating and he was up, wincing from pain and still moving as light fled through his veins.

    False Fire quickly became known as a phoenix who wasn't put down so easily.

    But things really changed when Dan and Phil started calling each other.

    Their friendship grew outside of the crime fighting; Phil was in college at the time, complaining about the courses. Dan admitted that he was thinking about becoming a lawyer, but seeing as being a Turbulent would take too much time, he had dropped the idea. Phil was quick to insist that if he wanted college, then he should do it, being a Turbulent be damned.

   "But that's the thing; I don't know if I want to go to college," he told him one night. 

   Phil had been quiet, voice soft as he admitted, "I don't know if I want to stay."

   They spoke fairly frequently, and Dan left the house often enough to be a Turbulent. His parents began joking whenever they saw Dan texting on his phone, wondering when he'd bring his girlfriend by.

   Dan found he wasn't offended or flustered in the least by the comments. Phil was his _best friend_ , and he didn't care what other people say or think.

   One night, Phil calls up. There's this breathy tremble to his voice that Dan knows means he's a mixture of excited and anxious.

   "What's up?"

   "I'm thinking of moving out." He says, rushed. Dan realizes that Phil is deciding to leave college. 

    "Yeah?"

    "Yeah. And I found an appartment," the words are blending together, syllables a single wave. He tells him the town. 

    "That's great!" And it is; Dan's smiling broadly on the other end. It's not too far from where he lives.

    "There's just one thing." Nervousness overpowers the excitement. "I need a flatmate."

    Dan is silent. He - is he asking-?

   Phil quickly rushes with explanations. "I just - I need someone who knows about me being a Turbulent, and I figured since you're one too then we can work together, like a team, but it's cool if you don't wa-"

    "Give me the address," Dan cuts in. "And I'll come check it out with you on Monday."

    They do go check out the appartment, and move in two weeks later.

   After their first successful fight as a duo, Phil tackles him to the ground in front of a News crew.

    After their fifth, Dan is sure to correct everyone that their amalgamated team name is _Amazing Fire_ , not _False Echo_.

    After Dan dies and comes back after eight hours during their twenty-first (Phil carries him to their appartment and lays his crumpled, bleeding body on his bed at home, panicking and pacing in sheer terror as he waits - if only he had gotten him off the train track in time, or-), they sit in the quiet side by side and watch silly movies until three am.

    After the first eight months, and three too-close fights, Dan begins cracking jokes about them, making Phil both appalled and amused. They begin to banter during fights, genuinely, and the opposite of subtly. Phil makes his own jokes, unthinkingly of other context or meaning that has criminals groaning in agony, or dramatically reacting to Dan's frustrated screeching (" _Amazing, what is **wrong** with you?" ". . .What. . .?_ ")

    After fights they begin to go home and retire for the evening, watching movies or playing games, and just enjoying _life_. They go to work when they can (they still need to make money, after all), Phil all smiles when he talks about which elementary class he substituted at, and even if Dan's part-time desk job is monotonous in contrast, it'll never be as monochromatic as life had become before he became best friends with Phil.

    And after-

    And again-

    They're together:

as partners,

as heroes,

as best friends.

    And that was that.

* * *

  _Present day:_

   "Next time, we're getting Indian." Dan's tone brooked no arguement.

    Phil's lips twitched into a wry smile. "You're the one who said you wanted Chinese."

    Fire was hefted up, brushing himself off and shaking his pinions back into place. "Yeah; but not from _that_ end of town!"

    Amazing just shook his head, the need to relieve Susan swamping him. He was still smiling though, as he said, "You're ridiculous. Let's just finish this so I can eat my chow mein."

    A snort, though Fire followed after him into the fray.

   It really had only been two years, hadn't it?

    But, honestly.

    Phil grinned at him, as he shot forward and dilivered a punch to the villain's abdomen.

    It felt like forever and no time at all.

   And Dan knew it was still only just the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unofficial theme song for this AU is 'Youth' by Glass Animals (It was 'Hazey' due to the atmosphere/feel of the song rather than the lyrics, but 'Youth' fits better.)
> 
> I don't have a theme song for the AlienRoommates!AU (AR!AU), so feel free to give suggestions.
> 
> Also, should I make separate series for these AUs? They'll still be in the Disassociation folder, but I wasn't sure if making and adding them to another might make it easier to find.

**Author's Note:**

> My motivation came fro watching Jack's _The Adventures Of Captain Spirit_ playthrough.
> 
> As I'm sure you can tell, I have no idea how the superhero genre works XD.
> 
> EDIT: My phone had shut off for unknown reasons, but I just fixed it. Unsure if this will occur again, so apologies if in the future any responses are delayed.


End file.
